Biografia
Lawrence 'Law' Fajardo is a film and television director, producer, editor, and writer renowned for his fast-paced action films that portray the challenging experiences of the Filipino people, often highlighting workers' struggles and the uplifting journeys of his characters. Many of his works explore themes of fear of both the known and unknown. His films have competed in major international festivals and have been screened in countries including South Korea, the United Kingdom, Japan, Germany, France, the USA, Canada, and Italy.
A theater actor and protégé of the late Peque Gallaga, Fajardo graduated in Mass Communication and hails from Bacolod City, Negros Occidental—a significant cultural and sugar industry hub in the Philippines. His most recent film, Kintsugi (Broken) (2020), was screened at the Osaka Asian Film Festival and was a finalist at both the Sinag Maynila Film Festival and Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino. He also directed the Philippine adaptation of the Korean action film A Hard Day, which was featured in the 2020 Summer Metro Manila Film Festival.
Fajardo gained recognition in 2005 with his short film Kultado, which earned the Special Jury Prize at the Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival and was showcased at the Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Festival in France. This success was followed by his debut feature, Raket ni Nanay, which won Best Sound and Editing at Cinema One Originals. One of his notable works, Amok (2011), was a finalist in the New Breed Category of Cinemalaya and won Best Sound and Editing at the 2012 Gawad Urian Awards. The film also received the Special Jury Prize at the Detective Fest in Moscow, Russia, and was screened at the Busan International Film Festival (South Korea) and Edinburgh International Film Festival (Scotland, UK). In 2012, his film Posas won Best Film in the Director's Showcase Category at Cinemalaya and went on to represent the Philippines at 12 festivals across five continents, including Busan, Cairo International Film Festival (Egypt), Focus on Asia International Film Festival (Japan), Kolkata International Film Festival (India), and the 20th Festival International des Cinemas d'Asie (France), where it won Best Film at the Hanoi International Film Festival.
Returning to theater in 2013, Fajardo’s Imbisibol was staged at the Cultural Center of the Philippines during Virgin Labfest 9 and 10. In 2015, Imbisibol premiered onscreen as an entry to the inaugural Sinag Maynila, sweeping seven awards including Best Director, Best Picture, Best Screenplay, Best Production Design, Best Cinematography, Best Actor, and Best Actress. The film was featured at the Toronto International Film Festival (Canada) and Tokyo International Film Festival (Japan).
Lawrence Fajardo’s achievements have also been recognized by his hometown, Bacolod City. He continues to share his expertise across the Philippines through workshops such as the Palawan Protégé Project, a pioneering filmmaking summer workshop in Palawan, among others.
